Religious leaders vow to end slavery in India

NEW DELHI : Indian religious leaders vowed on Thursday to use their influence to end modern slavery, saying the exploitation, abuse and confinement of millions of men, women and children around the world was a “crime against God”.

Hindu, Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Sikh, Jain and Baha’i leaders and representatives signed a declaration, organised by the Australia-based Global Freedom Network, pledging to help eradicate slavery and human trafficking by 2020.

Some 16 million slaves - nearly half the global total of around 36m - live in India, according to a survey by the Walk Free Foundation, a sister organisation of the Network. Anti-slavery activists welcomed the declaration. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, speaking at the signing ceremony, said ending slavery was the “most needed mission on the planet” and that faith leaders, as well as government, corporates and civil society groups, had a major role to play.

“We can make people who enslave realise that what they are doing is a crime against God ... Slavery is the worst insult you can give to God,” he said.

“This is where faith leaders and spiritual people can make a big impact in transforming the minds and hearts of people.”

In Thursday’s declaration, 11 spiritual and religious leaders in India pledged to do all within their power to work “for the freedom of all who are enslaved and trafficked so that their future may be restored.”

Activists welcomed the move but remained sceptical, saying that religious leaders are often drivers of the patriarchal attitudes that promote the low status and exploitation of women through slavery and other forms of violence.

They cited discriminatory practices such as the “triple talaq” (instant verbal divorce) in Islam, and the illegal, yet still practised Hindu custom of keeping “devadasis” - girls who are dedicated to the service of a deity but are often sexually exploited by priests.

“I am happy that someone has taken the initiative to bring the faith leaders on board and at least stand on a platform like this and give it a cosmetic solidarity,” said Sunitha Krishnan of Prajwala, a Hyderabad-based charity which rescues and rehabilitates victims of sex trafficking.

“I don’t think most know what the ground situation is and whether they realise that the outfits they are representing are the reason for many of these things. The ‘Devadasi system’, for example, they have to question it, but they don’t.”